How to get your IT Returns using RTI

In accordance with Entry 82 of the Union List of Schedule VII of the Constitution of India, the Central government has been empowered to levy an income tax on all procedurally generated income other than through agricultural means (subject to Section 10(1)).

According to the rules of our constitution, taxpayers are obligated to receive a tax refund on their income tax, if the tax they owe is less than the sum total of their withheld taxes, the estimated taxes that they have paid, and investments which are tax-free and can be claimed.

Problems Causing Delays in IT Refund

Legally, the Income Tax Department should refund the money owed to people as soon as possible, but given the nature and the complexity of the procedure itself, delay durations for Income Tax (IT) refunds can stretch up to more than a year. IT Refund delays or their non-receipt, is therefore a chief grievance amongst many taxpayers in our country. These delays, in turn, can be caused due to several factors such as –

Unintentional errors in bank details

Processing delay by IT Authority

Change in name/address details

Absence of relevant documentary proof (tax exemption documents etc.)

Incorrectly submitted income tax proofs

Other official and clerical errors

How to Check for IT Refund

Upon applying for an IT Refund, you can check the status of your tax refund as provided by the Income Tax Department. For this you require your Permanent Account Number (PAN), and select the correct assessment year for which you want the status of the tax refund. Visit here to check your tax refund status now! Individual taxpayers can also send emails to the following for any refund related queries –

itro@sbi.co.in

refunds@incometaxindia.gov.in

As a general rule of thumb, to get the IT refund without any hassle, it is advisable to file online tax returns nowadays along with submitting the Form 30 with the tax officer within two years from the close of the financial year. This generally leads to much faster processing of IT refunds, and as a result, quicker payment turnaround times.

Dealing With IT Refund Delays

A tax payer can visit the tax office to follow up on his/her refund status. One can also file a letter with the respective assessing officer ('AO') of that IT circle, with reasonable explanation, and supported by documentation.
However, if no action is taken by the assessing officer, the taxpayer is left with very little power in his hands, except trying to reach the jurisdictional chief commissioner with copies of previous correspondence with the AO. This is not only a time-consuming process, but can often lead to mental frustration.

How RTI works?

As per RTI act if public authorities do not reply to citizen’s queries then they are penalized.

In case of delayed IT refund, through RTI we can ask questions to get their attention to our case and clear our pending IT refund without visiting any office and paying any bribe.

How OnlineRTI Can Help?

At OnlineRTI, we understand the pain and frustration caused due governmental and procedural inefficiency. We believe every citizen of India should have the right to get the answer to his queries from the government.

In case of IT Refunds, we have managed to successfully handle several RTI related queries for our customers, and our fast-processing times and customer satisfaction is a testament to the same. All we require are a few relevant details regarding your IT refund query, and we will file the IT refund RTI on your behalf to the concerned PIO within 2 working days.

Our RTI procedures and fees are very transparent. To see how we can leverage the power of RTI to help solve your query for IT refund, contact us or apply for an RTI now!